


Brand New

by aliceinchucks



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: (sort of), Alternate Timelines, Carlos is so in love, Dancing, Dirty Dancing, First Dates, Fluff, M/M, Memory Alteration, Second First Dates, mild instance of Science Kink, minor spoilers for Episode 108, romantic epiphanies are dope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 08:06:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17076539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliceinchucks/pseuds/aliceinchucks
Summary: Sometimes Cecil didn't remember him. Carlos decided not to let that stop them from having a good night. He just had to get a little creative.





	Brand New

Sometimes Cecil didn't remember him.

It didn't happen often. Only three times before that Carlos was aware of, and the first time he had only found out about after the fact, because Cecil had written it all down and told him about it. What he'd written had both disturbed Carlos personally and intrigued him scientifically. It wasn't that Cecil had forgotten him, specifically; rather what seemed to have happened was that he gained a set of memories of a different life that just didn't happen to include Carlos. He had questioned Cecil about the details of this other life for the purpose of having as much data as possible, but his boyfriend had forgotten the whole thing and could only tell him what he'd written down.

What he'd written down was that he had a brother named Cal who lived up in the mountains near Eagle Farm. Having a brother who lived in mountains would be a difficult life to believe, but Cecil only seemed surprised by it in retrospect. He'd written that Cal had come to visit him, and had reminisced about how as kids they had looked up dirty words in the dictionary when their mother had taken them to the library, which was so far fetched that apparently Cecil hadn't even been able to believe it in the moment.

The whole experience had clearly rattled him, so Carlos hugged him and explained how multiple timelines is basic quantum physics. The most exciting kind of physics, he assured him. At the time, gashes had been opening up in the sky all over town and distorting citizens' realities, so the two of them kind of expected it to be a one-time thing.

The second time, Carlos had headed to Cecil's apartment after a long day at the lab, eager to unwind with his boyfriend and enjoy a relaxing evening. He was planning on teaching Cecil how to make tofu udon soup, having gone shopping for this to make sure Cecil had everything they'd need in his fridge.

When he came in, he could hear Cecil humming to himself in the kitchen and smell the aroma of udon noodles and soy sauce cooking on the stove already. Carlos frowned. The screen door banged shut behind him and the humming cut off abruptly. There was silence, and then slow, careful footsteps. Cecil's head poked around the doorway to the kitchen, his eyes wide as he spotted Carlos standing there.

"Interloper!" He shouted, and Carlos saw that he brandished a rolling pin in his left hand. "What are you doing in my house?"

"I'm sorry!" Carlos answered, the confusion and mistrust in Cecil's voice making him half believe himself that he'd made some sort of dire social error. "Got the wrong, um–" He cleared his throat and escaped right back out the front door without completing the thought.

The rest of that night was rough. He didn't know if he should call Cecil to see if he was okay, if he should try to explain the situation, if things would go back to the way they were soon or at all. The next morning, Cecil called him with news that a package had appeared on his doorstep with nothing in it but a slip of paper displaying a child's drawing of the nation's capitol building, unsigned, and according to his new intern, similar packages had been showing up on doorsteps all across town. So, back to business as usual. He didn't remember anything having been off, and there was no evidence to suggest that Cal had been there this time. Carlos told him what happened and Cecil felt terrible, buying all the ingredients again and letting Carlos teach him how to make tofu udon soup, which Cecil didn't know how to make.

The third time was almost two months later. The morning had actually been normal, one of the mornings when Carlos had the privilege of waking up next to his gorgeous boyfriend, even though they weren't living together yet and he was still trying to find the right way to breach that topic for the first time. The point was, Cecil had definitely remembered him when he'd rolled over and planted a sleepy kiss against Carlos' hair, when he'd accepted the mug of coffee he had made for him with a grateful smile, looking at him and biting his lip like he was trying to keep it from blooming into an all-out grin. Carlos loved that look, like Cecil was just barely containing himself during moments that others might consider mundane. But he definitely did not remember him when Carlos bumped into him that evening at the drug store, right after the radio host would have gotten off work. Literally bumped into him, his boyfriend stuttering out a "so sorry" before averting his eyes back to the array of laundry detergent in front of him.

Carlos raised his eyebrows, chuckling lightly. "Cecil." Clearly the other hadn't gotten a good look at who he'd just knocked shoulders with.

Cecil looked back at him, his gaze now confused and a bit guarded. "Yeah?" he asked after a long moment, the question hesitant. His eyes traveled down Carlos' frame and back up. There was no recognition there.

Carlos panicked again. "Cecil Palmer, right?" he said quickly. "Big fan of your work." The look in Cecil's eyes changed, but Carlos didn't give himself time to analyze it before he was hurrying out of the aisle.

He didn't know why the memories of this timeline would be leaving Cecil at such seemingly random times. No one else in town was experiencing anything similar, as far as they knew. He tried to identify something in his boyfriend's day that might have triggered the response, but it was challenging to find a pattern when it had only happened as an isolated incident twice. If it happened again, he would have more to go on. He also hoped if it happened again, he could handle the situation a bit better. The idea of his boyfriend seeing him as a total stranger was actually a bit intriguing, if he thought about it. Maybe he had been going about this the wrong way; or rather, he hadn't really considered before that there might be a way in which to go about it.

He got his chance three weeks later. The time between incidents had shrunk, which was a bit concerning. All he knew to do at this point was to write it down.

Cecil was doing his show, and Carlos was listening through headphones while taking a break from work. The way Cecil spoke on the radio was different than how he did in his day to day life; it was usually a deeper tone, often lacking a lot of the lively inflection Carlos had come to adore from his boyfriend. He was just reflecting on these differences when The Children's Fun Fact Science Corner ended, and then Cecil was talking about more personal matters, albeit a bit guiltily. He said he had plans to play with his weekly bowling league that night and expressed his regrets that his brother Cal hadn't been joining them lately, as he apparently used to do. Cecil reportedly hadn't heard from him since an incident that he only made vague reference to, as if he expected his listeners to be familiar with it. Carlos wondered, definitely not for the first time since he'd moved to this town, if anyone else listening found the whole thing odd, or if it was just him. He also wondered if their radio host expected his brother to hear this broadcast, or if he was simply sharing.

Carlos knew where to find him, at least, if he wanted to put his half-formed plan into action. Cecil was pretty bold to be broadcasting his evening plans on the radio, if you asked him. It hardly seemed safe.

He asked his team if anyone felt like bowling that night.

-

Cecil was already at the Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex with his league by the time Carlos arrived. Rachelle, Lusia, and Dave, who had taken Carlos up on his bowling invitation, went up with him to the counter to rent shoes and protective gloves and eyewear.

League Night was already underway, and most of the alley had been reserved for that, but there were still a few lanes at the end that others could use. Carlos chose the one closest to Cecil's team and couldn't quite keep his eyes on what he was doing as he and his colleagues chose their balls and entered their names.

He was suddenly nervous. Cecil was stepping up to the plate, as it were; Carlos wasn't exactly familiar with bowling terms. There was such confidence to his movements as he took the shot, as if he wasn't in the middle of a reality that didn't quite match up with his memories. Carlos had to catch his breath for a moment. He didn't know how long this thing would last, but so far it had always been solved by morning. Could he really get this amazing guy to take notice of him in one night?

"Whatcha doin' there, Carlos?"

"Having a stroke, Lusia," he cleared his throat, tearing his gaze away. "Sorry."

"Isn't that your boyfriend?"

He focused on pulling on his gloves. "Yeah, but he doesn't remember me today."

Lusia clicked her tongue sympathetically. "That's gotta suck."

He shrugged, his eyes drifting back to Cecil, who was moving his arms around in an awkward little victory dance. "Not necessarily."

He got caught looking, Cecil's eyes meeting his as he finished his celebration and picked up his ball from the return. Carlos turned back to Lusia again quickly, and heard the thud of a ball dropping to the floor behind him.

Did Cecil recognize him from those weird isolated incidents, as that home invader and that fan from the drug store? He didn't know if the Cecil in the other timeline had those memories, or if these little anomalous days were just blips that didn't count in either timeline. Would talking to him tonight affect that other timeline permanently?

When he'd seen him in the drug store, Cecil hadn't seemed to recognize him as the man who'd waltzed into his home uninvited. It seemed likely that they weren't dealing with the actual Cecil from the other timeline, but just Carlos' Cecil with the other Cecil's memories. And in any case, he wasn't planning on doing anything that would ruin that timeline even if it was affected. Probably.

Their names were listed alphabetically, so Carlos stepped up first. He felt very aware of the eyes on him, eager to be impressive in case one of the sets of eyes were Cecil's, but he hadn't been bowling in a while due to the fact that Cecil got anxious and overprotective anytime Carlos even came near the Desert Flower. At least he was wearing the tight-fitting, dark wash jeans Cecil liked.

He ended up getting all but one pin. When he stepped back, and after chatting briefly with his colleagues so that he wasn't being too obvious, he saw that Cecil's ball was still on the floor, and he was talking to Old Woman Josie between sending questioning looks in their direction. Josie looked confused, no, concerned, so Carlos tried to catch her eye before she could do any damage. She looked back toward him, mouth opening to say something to Cecil, and Carlos gave a small shake of his head and a wink.

She closed it again, narrowing her eyes good-naturedly at the scientist, and then replied to Cecil, clapping him on the back.

Carlos remembered to stop looking over there long enough for Cecil to approach him, his hands stuffed in his back pockets. He had his own eyewear and shoes and so looked less ridiculous than the scientists, but Carlos suspected that he would have rocked the gaudy rentals better than any of them.

"Excuse me," he said, bouncing lightly on his toes and then clearing his throat. He gave Carlos a bright smile. "Hi."

God, his boyfriend was adorable. "Hi."

"Right, so, um." He brought one hand out of his pocket and extended it to Carlos. "I'm Cecil Palmer, and I'm a journalist, and you–you are new. I don't exactly see four new people...um, ever, so I was just wondering who you are and what you're doing here?"

"A journalist, huh?" Who knew acting came so natural to him? "I'm Carlos." The actor. "I'm a scientist."

"A scientist." It was like a light had been switched on behind Cecil's eyes.

"We all are," added Dave. Cecil glanced at the others with a nod and a small smile before returning his gaze to Carlos.

"When did you come to Night Vale?"

"Palmer, you're up!"

Cecil's face fell as he glanced back toward his team. "Oh. That's me."

Carlos jumped in. "If you had some… journalist questions you wanted to ask, I'd be happy to answer them after your tournament or whatever is done."

"Really?" The look that overtook Cecil's face then suddenly reminded Carlos that on the actual first day he had arrived in town, Cecil had publicly announced that he was in love with him. The full weight of that hit him now like it never really had before, making him dizzy for a moment. Their relationship hadn't taken a full year to even get started because of any hesitancy on Cecil's part. The confession of love over the radio before the two had ever formally met might have slowed things down a bit, admittedly. Carlos had hardly even known what to do with himself around Cecil for that first year without hiding behind his research, but now… God, he loved him so much. And Cecil hadn't introduced himself to _Dave_.

Maybe this wouldn't be so difficult after all.

"Yeah, it's no problem."

Cecil beamed. "That would be...neat."

"Hey," one of Cecil's teammates, Ronnie, called, "are we gonna bowl, Cecil, or are you just gonna stand around flirting with your boyfriend?"

Carlos watched as the color in Cecil's cheeks deepened into a nice crimson. "Oh, God." He twisted around to pull a face at Ronnie and then turned back, apparently torn between telling them off and mollifying Carlos. "That was highly inappropriate of them to say, I'm so–"

"It's fine," Carlos assured him, chuckling good-naturedly because he was just oh so laid back and smooth, and because, well, Ronnie wasn't being inappropriate at all. "Go win your game."

And he did. He scored higher than any of his teammates, other than Old Woman Josie, and Carlos suspected from the odd trajectory of her shots that she was getting help that would be illegal to acknowledge.

Their own game was wrapping up, too. Lusia had started dominating early on and Rachelle and Dave had lost most of their interest around her seventh strike in a row.

"He was like, what do you think of this font for the report? And I was like, Stan, I will slam your face into this keyboard."

"Rachelle, it's your turn," Carlos pointed out.

"Huh?" She looked up. "Aren't we done here? League Night's over. Cecil will be wanting to go, right?"

"No way, I've almost officially destroyed you all," Lusia insisted, pulling Rachelle to her feet. "Come on, it's the last round."

"Alright, alright."

"Hey, were you still up for…?" Carlos turned to see Cecil standing there, uncertainty in every line of his posture.

"Yeah, I'm still up for." Carlos smiled. Was Cecil like this the first time they had met? And if so, had Carlos really been so preoccupied with his work and himself he hadn't noticed? "Congrats on the win."

"Oh, thanks! It was a team effort. And congrats to um," he glanced at the scoreboard, "Lusia, it looks like."

"Thanks, stranger," she replied with a wink.

"So hey, have you eaten?" Carlos asked. "Did you wanna get some food while we talk?"

"Yeah, that'd be…" Cecil trailed off, nodding. "Have you been to Big Rico's yet? It's great."

"I have, yeah." Many, many times. With the man standing before him. "That sounds good."

–

"This is so exciting. I've never interviewed a scientist before."

"Well, you can interview me anytime." He didn't mean for that to sound as flirty as it did, but what the hell? Wasn't that the point of tonight?

Cecil certainly didn't seem to mind, although Carlos couldn't tell if he was picking up on Carlos' interest in him or not. He also decidedly did not recognize him as his home invader or random drug store fan. If there was one thing he could apparently count on from Cecil, it was his capacity to forget.

The radio host pulled out his little reporter's book and placed it on the table. He hadn't taken notes while the two of them talked, at least consciously, since they'd started dating. "Alright, you're officially on the record. So, what is it you've been studying or researching lately?"

"Well." Carlos paused. He knew that doing an interview with Cecil was the most feasible way to get to spend time with him under the circumstances, and he was definitely not one to pass up an opportunity to talk about science, but it wasn't exactly the most productive thing to do with the time they had. But what else could he do at this point? "I've been measuring radiation in various places across town."

The man across from him nodded encouragingly as their food was brought to the table. "And what have you found?"

"It's not possible for this environment to sustain life."

Cecil laughed, one of Carlos' favorite sounds. "Fascinating. Good stuff."

"I've also been running tests on samples of the water here, for things like pH level, contaminants, unusual levels of chlorides or carbonates… it was a whole thing, but the results of that were inconclusive, so then I started trying to track down where Night Vale gets its water from." He'd realized that just investigating whatever strange thing was happening in town at any given time was just studying symptoms, and while there was definitely value to that, it wouldn't get to the root cause of what made Night Vale so scientifically interesting. "Obviously it pumps water from a remote location, being a desert community and all, maybe an aquifer or a river somewhere, but let me tell you, it is not easy figuring out where that is. I spent about a week following the pipes out of Night Vale, but every time I'd get to a certain point in the sand wastes, I'd emerge from unconsciousness on the edge of town."

"Oh, dear."

"Yeah. So that investigation is currently at a stand-still."

"That must be frustrating." Cecil rested his chin on the heel of his hand.

"It is," he agreed, "It is frustrating. I mean, as I'm sure you know, the point of science is to get to the bottom of things. We make observations and we run experiments and we record our findings and interpret the data to find out what things are, and, just as important, to find out why things are what they are. And the 'why,' the 'why' hasn't been…" he trailed off and then cleared his throat. "...happening lately." He hadn't been thinking of Night Vale's water source. He'd been thinking of Cecil's brain, how it kept dropping Carlos like a test answer your teacher had only mentioned once briefly during a lecture in some weird subject like social studies. What even was social studies, anyway?

"I'm sorry, I got–" He shook his head. "I'm sure none of that is usable."

"No, it's fine." And something about the sound of those three words reclaimed his attention, had him observing the man across from him more closely. They were a little slow, a little distracted, and… ah, okay. Right.

Cecil's eyes were dark, a light flush on his cheeks. It would have easily gone unnoticed if Carlos didn't know him, if he wasn't attuned to reactions like this from his boyfriend, hadn't seen similar looks when he'd do something like, say, go on about science a bit too long. Like he'd just done.

It was a good look on him. Carlos found himself swallowing, aware of the dryness in his mouth. He took a swig of water.

"Did you have other questions?"

"Other questions?" Cecil echoed, seemingly absently.

"Was there something else you wanted to talk about?"

"Ah, yes." The man seemed to come out of his daze a bit, a line forming between his brows as he cleared his throat. "Good idea, perhaps we should talk about something else."

He seemed a bit at a loss. Maybe he didn't realize he had a thing for science before, or maybe it only got to him when it was Carlos talking about it, and so was a new phenomenon to him. That second option was nice to think about, especially if it was still the case even when Cecil didn't know him.

"I apologize," he continued, swirling the spoon around in his bowl of stewed tomatoes. "I've had kind of an unsettling day. Not that that's a good excuse for my disorganization."

"You've been fine," Carlos reassured him. "It's an impromptu interview, anyway. Unsettling in what way?" Maybe it was something about how his memories were all wrong, something in his day that would possibly help explain what had triggered it.

"I don't know, just weird little things, I shouldn't let it distract me. Things like… okay, I wanted to wear my favorite jacket to work today, but I couldn't find it. In fact, I don't seem to own a single jacket. And then later someone asked me, completely seriously it seemed, how Janice was. And I don't know any Janice." He shrugged. "Just things like that. It's felt a bit like someone's been playing April Fools jokes on me or like induced feelings of uncanniness, but April Fools has been banned for years and Induced Feelings of Uncanniness Day was last month."

Hearing Cecil say he didn't know a Janice was even weirder than being shouted at to leave his house. "That is odd," he agreed, leaning forward in his seat. Then added casually, as if he hadn't been wracking his brain about it for months, "I wonder what that could be about." In the process of moving, his knee brushed up against Cecil's. He decided not to move it away.

The reaction was immediate. Cecil's eyes widened slightly and his spoon paused its aimless motion in his bowl. "I-I don't know." He didn't move away either. "But hey, that's a Tuesday, right?"

The point of contact between them was barely anything, but Carlos felt it everywhere. The instinct to just take his hand, to tell him 'you look beautiful, sweetheart' like they were on a regular date on a regular day, was strong.

"How 'bout this," he said instead, smacking his hand lightly on the table. "You've had a weird day, I'm getting nowhere with my research. How about you just take the night off from thinking about reporter work and we just enjoy ourselves? You can interview me more sometime when I have more to tell."

Cecil blinked. "Just enjoy ourselves?"

"Does that sound okay?"

After a moment a small smile formed on his face, his shoulders relaxing. "Yeah, that sounds okay."

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Carlos flagged down a server. "Could we see the wine menu, please?"

Cecil giggled, covering his face with his hands. "This is Big Rico's, they don't have a wine menu." He knew that, but it was worth it to get Cecil laughing. "Could we get a couple beers, Frances?" the reporter amended.

"Sure thing, Cecil."

"Beers, huh," Carlos said pretentiously, grinning to let Cecil know he wasn't serious.

"One each. I'm not letting you get me drunk tonight."

And Carlos didn't want that either. He didn't want his boyfriend's decisions tonight to be influenced by alcohol. At least not too much.

Things were going smoothly until they left the pizzeria. Carlos steered the conversation to talking more about Cecil than himself, which the other man seemed to respect. Their knees maintained contact the whole time, and Cecil even nudged the toe of Carlos' shoe with his own a few times. Those little touches meant everything, catching Carlos' breath every time his date hinted his interest in such a simple, subtle way.

"Where are we going?" Cecil asked once they were out in the warm night air.

"Just for a walk. Unless you've got someplace you need to be."

Carlos caught the other man's glance out of the corner of his eye. "A walk sounds nice."

It was then that the scientist spotted walking their way on the sidewalk someone who had the potential to be a problem. He wasn't sure what form it might take, exactly. The man might put Cecil in a bad mood by his very presence, or clue him in that something was off by saying the wrong thing. Or, likely, both.

What he didn't expect was for Cecil to give a jaunty wave as he approached and say, "Hey, Steve!"

Steve apparently did not expect this, either. He stumbled slightly on the pavement before he fully stopped walking, staring at his brother-in-law. It took him a moment to recover enough to get out a cheerful, "Hey, Cecil, good to see you!" He gave a friendly, albeit pleasantly confused, nod and added, "Carlos. How's it goin?"

Poor Steve seemed keen on taking advantage of the situation even if he didn't understand it, so Carlos just offered him a subtle shrug and a smile back. "Going great, Carlsberg."

Cecil looked between the two of them. "You know each other? I was just about to introduce you." There was uncertainty forming in his eyes, possibly insecurity about why Steve Carlsberg would know Carlos if he didn't, when he was supposed to be the one up to date on all the goings-on around town.

"Are you bein' funny, Cecil?"

"Steve came by the lab to welcome us when I first got here," Carlos cut in quickly, which was, for the record, true. "Hey, Steve, remember what I was telling you about?" The confusion on Steve's face increased for a moment before he glanced at Cecil and then back to Carlos, a question dawning. The scientist nodded slightly, and Steve's face smoothed in understanding, although his eyes were a little wide.

See, while his boyfriend may have had his own hang-ups about Steve, Carlos actually had a pretty friendly relationship with the man. Since Cecil and his sister had started talking more, he and Carlos had gotten together with Abby and Steve a few times for holiday dinners or family events, and Carlos had actually had some really good conversations with his boyfriend's brother-in-law. It made him feel a little guilty, like he was betraying Cecil, but they'd even talked on the phone on a couple occasions. The last of these calls had taken place the night of the drugstore incident, so in the interest of being honest Carlos had responded to Steve's question of 'How's it goin?' with a 'Could be better, Steve Carlsberg' and a run-down of what had been going on.

"Oh, yeah, somethin' to do with science, I'm sure," Steve said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "So is everything alright in the… science department?"

"Yeah, it's under control," Carlos assured him gratefully.

"Alright," he said with another nod of his head. "You two have a good night."

"So you know Steve Carlsberg," Carlos said once he had passed them. He wanted to ask about the nature of their relationship, but wasn't sure how.

"Yeah, I know a lot of people. Not well, though."

If Steve had never married Cecil's sister and become Janice's stepdad, the radio host would have had no reason to resent him, Carlos supposed. It made sense. It was jarring to witness firsthand, but it made sense.

Cecil seemed a bit more at ease now, or at least, had gone back to his previous level of jitteriness. Carlos wanted to hold his hand, but settled for letting their arms brush together every few steps.

"I like your hair," Cecil commented. At that, Carlos looked at him with a smile, making Cecil clear his throat and look straight ahead again. "I think… you have good hair."

"Thanks," he answered, fondness in his chest for this man who didn't remember that one of his absolute favorite things to do was run his fingers through Carlos' hair while working on other things. "I think you have a good face."

Cecil laughed at that, a surprised sound, and Carlos remembered his aversion to mirrors and how he wouldn't remember Carlos telling him every day that he was gorgeous.

They got to a corner and a surveillance van was parked on the street a short distance away, playing a song Carlos knew loudly on their radio. He grinned, glancing at Cecil sidelong before actually turning to grab his hand this time, blocking his path on the sidewalk.

"Carlos!" Cecil said, startled. His name sounded different than usual, and he realized this was the first time Cecil had said it all night. He said it like it was something brand new, and while Carlos loved the way his boyfriend said his name when he had all his usual memories–full of familiarity and affection–this was thrilling in a different way.

"Have you ever danced cumbia?" he asked.

There was a sparkle of interest. "No."

Carlos took his other hand in his and the expression on Cecil's face was electric for a moment, but then it tightened the next. His gaze drifted over Carlos' shoulder, prompting Carlos to look behind him, but there was no one there. Just the parked van and an empty street. He turned back to Cecil, brows drawn together in question, but the other man's gaze was still skating about their surroundings.

"Sorry," Cecil said quickly when he noticed Carlos' look. "It was–nothing." He leaned a bit closer toward him as if to prove it was so.

But Carlos thought he knew that look. It wasn't one he'd ever seen on Cecil's face before, but he'd seen it on a few guys he'd gone on dates with, mostly in college. And suddenly he was thinking of what Cecil had written down the first time his memories had taken a sick day. Particularly about Cal.

Despite the near constant external dangers to his and every other citizen's life, Carlos had never felt safer to be who he was than he did in Night Vale. Never called slurs for being a Latino man. Never more comfortable holding his boyfriend's hand in public. But if someone like Cal was an important part of Cecil's life in his memories right now, then maybe he didn't feel quite as at ease.

"Are you not out?" Carlos asked gently. Whatever his vision for this night might have been, however familiar he was with Cecil, he didn't want to pressure him into anything he wasn't comfortable with.

Cecil winced, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face at being caught out. "A lot of people know. Just… not everyone."

Carlos nodded, his thumb stroking along the back of Cecil's hand like he'd done so many times before to calm him. "Do you want to call it a night? I'd understand."

"No," he answered immediately, his eyes on the movement of Carlos' thumb. "I don't. I mean, it's not like he'd be in town to see me anyway, he didn't even come to league night. Sorry, I'm talking about my brother," he explained.

Carlos nodded encouragingly.

"And even if he did see me," Cecil stood a bit straighter, a resolve in his face that made Carlos' heart stutter, "this is who I am, right? He's going to find out sometime."

Carlos squeezed his hand. "As long as you're comfortable."

Cecil took a deep, cleansing breath before lifting their entwined hands between them. A dashing, impish smile was playing on his lips, and his hips were already starting to move subtly to the beat pouring out from the van. "Teach me how to cumbia, Carlos."

So he did. Cecil may never have danced cumbia before, but Carlos knew that dancing in general was one of his favorite activities–and one that he was good at, in Carlos' totally unbiased opinion–so he expected Cecil to catch on quick. He wasn't wrong. His feet found the steps to the one-two-three beat effortlessly, and when Carlos started leading him in spins, he easily followed. Carlos didn't know all the words to the song, but he sang along quietly to the chorus when it came around. His voice wasn't anything like Cecil's, but he liked the song.

"You're a natural," he commented, bringing one of Cecil's hands to the back of his neck and then placing his own free one on Cecil's waist, drawing the two of them closer.

"You lead well," Cecil answered, the color high in his cheeks. Carlos leaned their foreheads together as their feet continued to move, catching some lyrics he knew again and singing them softly. Maybe he was being a bit forward, but dammit, he wanted to sweep him off his feet.

It seemed to be working. Cecil's eyes were closed, and there was that lip bite Carlos loved so much, the one that barely contained his smile. His hand on the back of Carlos' neck was warm.

Carlos watched him for a moment before singing the next line, pitching his voice exaggeratedly high to match the tone of the singer. " _¿Buscabas a mi hermano?_ "

Cecil let out a startled burst of laughter, drawing away from Carlos to double over on the sidewalk. Carlos grinned, laughing too.

"What was that?" Cecil asked once he had somewhat regained the power of speech, wiping a tear from his eye. "What did you say? Something about a brother."

"So, she's going to this guy's apartment to tell him she's in love with him, right?" he explained cheerfully. "But when she gets to the door, some blonde girl answers, and the singer is heartbroken, until the blonde asks, 'Were you looking for my brother?'"

Cecil laughed again, nodding in understanding. "Yep, you sounded exactly like some blonde girl answering the door."

The song on the surveillance van's radio changed then, to one with a deeper, more hypnotic beat, and Cecil straightened. "Oh, now this one I know. I love Demi Lovato."

He eyed Carlos up and down, and the look on his face made the scientist shiver. Then he glanced around them to see if anyone was nearby before grabbing Carlos' hand and pulling him into a more shadowy alcove.

"This song calls for a different kind of dancing," Cecil said, and then Carlos was crowded up against the brick wall behind him. He looked at Cecil with wide eyes, his pulse going wild, and the other man beamed back at him, wide and adorable and a little bit unsure again for the moment. "Is this okay?" he whispered, and Carlos had never nodded so quickly.

Cecil's smile softened, pleased, and he threaded the fingers of one hand into Carlos' hair, the other sliding between his back and the wall. He pulled him forward and for a second Carlos thought he was going to kiss him, but he just pulled him away from the wall and settled his hands on his hips. Carlos caught the positively devilish gleam in his eye before he brought his mouth close to Carlos' ear, so he was already turning to putty in his hands even before Cecil sang along low in his ear, his breath warm against Carlos' skin, " _no, you can't make me behave_."

"Cecil," he said without really meaning to. Cecil pulled back and smiled at him, a little shy despite his actions immediately prior, and God, Carlos would do anything for this man.

As soon as the beat dropped, Cecil went all Patrick Swayze on him, hands sliding around Carlos' waist to his lower back and rolling his hips into his like they were at an underground party at Kellerman's resort in the Catskills.

"Jesus, Cecil," he hissed, vision going fuzzy for a second. Cecil laughed good-naturedly at him, continuing with what he was doing, and after a moment Carlos chuckled too, sliding his arms around Cecil's neck and pressing back into his partner's movements. Cecil let out a quiet little sound at that, a sound that sent heat flooding straight into Carlos' gut.

The music was pulsing out into the night air and Cecil went loose, letting his hands drop to his sides and arching backwards, their pelvises the main point of contact between them. It made Carlos wish he was wearing something other than jeans. Sweats, maybe. The bass fell out for the breakdown of the song. Carlos slid his hands down Cecil’s chest, the warmth of his skin radiating through the thin fabric. Cecil pressed into his touch, righting himself again and gliding his hands down either side of Carlos’ neck.

Cecil's gaze was heavy and hazy and he felt so good melded against him like that. Carlos wanted to kiss him, but he also kind of wanted Cecil to do it first. As if sensing his thoughts, the journalist's gaze fell to his mouth, and Carlos gave in. He pressed forward, claiming Cecil's lips.

He kissed him like kissing Cecil was his home, which in retrospect probably wasn't the best course of action, but at the same time, he didn't think he'd get called out on it. His devotion could easily be mistaken for other kinds of passion. Cecil melted against him, sweet and pliant, so clearly trusting it made Carlos' head swim.

He turned them around with his hands on Cecil's waist, pressing him into the wall behind them. He felt the shudder in Cecil's breath as he parted his lips with his tongue. He felt a tug on his scalp as hands found purchase in his hair. When they parted, he felt harsh breath on his cheek.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, because he needed to know. Cecil huffed at that, his cheeks pink, and kissed him again. Carlos revelled in the soft press of his lips and the brush of his tongue for several long moments before he felt Cecil rocking up against him again, this time not really to any beat. It felt incredible, but more than that, it made him feel incredible, the knowledge that this amazing man wanted him like that after knowing him for one night.

He broke the kiss and nudged Cecil's head to the side, kissing along his jaw to the space below his ear. When he nipped the skin there, his name trembled from Cecil's lips. He hummed his response into the tendon of his neck as Cecil's head tipped back against the wall.

Apparently he actually wanted to talk to him, because he said his name again. This time Carlos pulled back, meeting his eyes, which had gone glassy. He let himself feel a little smug about that before answering, "Yeah?"

"I know this isn't exactly the signal I've been sending you, but," he paused to swallow and wet his lips, recovering his hold on himself, "I'm not going to your place. And you're not coming back to mine."

"So you're saying you have to have me right here in the street?" the scientist extrapolated.

"Carlos," he laughed, pushing lightly at his chest.

"Tease," Carlos accused, but he wasn't really upset about it. That hadn't been what tonight was about. He stroked his thumb gently across Cecil's temple up into his hairline to show that he was fine. Cecil hummed, his eyes falling shut.

"This has been...wonderful. More than wonderful. But…"

"It's late, and you have work in the morning?" Carlos guessed.

"–But if I kiss you for another minute I'm gonna give in and break all my rules," he finished, and he really did look regretful about it.

"Hmm." Carlos regarded him through narrowed eyes. "Even for just a minute?"

"I'm tempted," he admitted, fingers trailing down the front of Carlos' shirt, making him shiver. "To be perfectly honest, more than I can even process right now. So I think I'm gonna go, and…"

"Process."

Cecil nodded.

"Can I walk you home?" Carlos asked.

"Please. Or I can walk you. Where is your place?"

"Right next to Big Rico's."

"Huh." Cecil's brows drew together.

"Come on, let me get you home." It's a farther walk, he almost added, but thank God had the presence of mind not to.

He let his date lead the way as if he had no idea where he was going. It was easier to pull off once Cecil took his hand, which was good because after that he didn't have much brain capacity left to remember to fake it.

As they got closer to Cecil's apartment the lights above the Arby's came into view. The sight of them tightened something in Carlos' chest. It was something close to sadness, but not quite. He remembered how those lights had tinted the radio host's hair bright reds and deep purples as the two of them sat on the hood of Carlos' car all that time ago, when a traumatic experience at the bowling alley had given him the push to show Cecil a fraction of what he felt, and he felt a fraction more deserving of Cecil calling him brave.

He generally didn't believe in a higher power, and if there was one he was pretty sure it wouldn't be the lights above the Arby's, but right now he found something inside him asking–whether his hope was directed at the lights or simply adjacent to them–that Cecil would be okay.

"Something on your mind?" the subject of his thoughts asked quietly. At the moment Carlos could only shake his head.

They arrived outside Cecil's apartment a few minutes later. Cecil seemed even more reluctant to go inside than Carlos was to see him go, probably because he didn't realize just how much of a sure thing Carlos was.

"C'mere," Carlos murmured, and Cecil kissed him. Apparently as long as it was under a minute, it was allowed. The kiss was sweet and unembellished, and left Carlos weak at the knees.

His eyes remained closed even after Cecil pulled back, until he heard the other man say his name like a question.

"Hm?" He opened his eyes slowly to see Cecil's face still close to his, but something had changed.

"Carlos," Cecil repeated, then shook his head with a little laugh that sounded more bewildered than amused. "What–?"

Carlos realized with a quickening of his heartrate what was different, and hoped Cecil wouldn't be mad. "Cecil," he said, laughing a little.

"Oh my God," said his boyfriend, stepping back to get some space, his hand tangled in his own hair on top of his head.

"Kind of an unsettling day, huh?" Carlos offered.

“Oh my God,” he repeated, taking a few deep, calming breaths.

"You feel alright?" he checked.

Cecil looked over at him with eyes that contained endless amounts of gentleness and a healthy dose of wonder. “You gave us another first date.”

"I think I did a little better this time."

Cecil shook his head, but Carlos wasn't sure if he disagreed or if it was for an unrelated reason. He stepped closer. "You–you. You're so–you're…"

"And to think some people are under the delusion that you're eloquent," Carlos ribbed.

His beautiful boyfriend scoffed, indignant. "C'mere."

"I'm not sure I want to." He backed up half a step, trying to look scared, but it didn't quite work around his grin.

Cecil followed, grabbing his hand and pulling him close. "I wanted to impress you so bad."

"And here I was, already hopelessly in love." Carlos shook his head, clicking his tongue in disappointment.

"Yeah, well I didn't _know_ that." He pressed his lips to Carlos' nose, then his eyes, then his eyebrows. Carlos made a contented sound. "Oh." The scientist opened his eyes to see his boyfriend suddenly crestfallen.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"I just–well, I probably won't remember this in the morning, huh?"

Carlos gave a sympathetic grimace. "I think that's likely." He took Cecil's hands in his. Cecil looked down at them.

"Well...then I'll have to write it all down like I did before, while I still remember. I don't want to lose any part of this." He glanced up through his lashes. "And I want you to see how I see you."

Good grief. Carlos swallowed. In that case, maybe he ought to write something too. Just from listening to the radio, he thought he might have a better idea of Cecil's feelings than Cecil would have of his. And that definitely needed remedying.

“Move in with me.”

It was quiet for a beat during which Carlos didn’t breathe, watching Cecil for a reaction. Then, “What?”

“Or I’ll move in with you. What I’m saying is, I want to live with you. Sorry, I meant to bring this up a different way–have a discussion–”

“Okay.” There was a small smile on Cecil’s face.

“Yeah?”

“We’ll work out the details later, but yeah.”

Carlos was suspicious. “Are you actually really excited about this, but wanting to come across as nonchalant?”

“Yes!” He tugged on Carlos’ hand. “Now come on, I have to get it all down before I forget.”

"Ooh, am I allowed inside now?"

Cecil sighed dramatically. "I guess I'll make an exception. Just this once."

"I'm honored." Carlos leaned in, pressing a kiss to Cecil's jaw. He couldn't help himself. When he pulled away, his boyfriend's nose was scrunched up like he'd just thought of something unpleasant, or smelled it. "What is it now?"

"You talk to Steve Carlsberg about me?"

 

Oh dear.

**Author's Note:**

> The songs playing on the surveillance van radio are 'El Chico Del Apartamento 512' by Selena and 'Confident' by Demi Lovato.
> 
> (I know the whole Cal thing didn't happen until later in their relationship, but there's no such thing as anachronisms in Night Vale, right?)


End file.
